Crimson Beginnings
by Nigtalea
Summary: ."My name is more fitting than you think." "I don't think so." "You don't know me." "Yes I do." "No, Rikku, you really don't."' Rated T but may up the rating later for violence and general grusomeness. And, yeah, I know I suck at summarys.


**Authors Notes:- **I have always wondered about Paine's whole past and what it was like in the Crimson Squad and stuff like that. I this there may be some facts that aren't the same as in the game because I doubt Paine would have told Yuna and Rikku everything about her old life. She just doesn't strike me as that sort of person.

Anyways this is what I came up with. This story is going quite well at the moment so I am most likely going to carry it on with more chapters about life in the Crimson squad. I'm also planning to do a sequel to this story of Paine's life as a Gullwing but only if this story goes down well with people.

**BE WARNED!**

**OC's and Al-Bhed ahead.**

**There will be no translation for the Al-Bhed so run it through a transulator or if enough people complain I may add it to the bottom of the page but I will not right Al-Bhed in English because I want to make Paine and the Al-Bhed as confusing as possible. OC's will pop up but they will never take centre stage in this story. Elm, Terra and Woods are the most main any of my OC's will get.**

**(About the Al-Bhed, you're not missing much. Gipple just asks about Paine's past and gets no answer.)**

**Disclaimer:-** I don't own Final Fantasy X-2 but I do own Elm, Woods and Terra and any other upcoming characters that work for Crimson Squad which aren't mentioned in FFX-2.

**Oh my! What is that greenish button down the bottom of this page? Maybe you should press it and see. XD**

**Crimson Beginnings**

A cry, a thud and yet more blood was staining my hands.

I looked just stared down to where I had last seen that child's face before I lost my grip on his hand and he had fallen into the turbulent waters below.

More screams brought me back to reality.

Looking up I saw the large mass of water surrounding the creature suck in more people either drowning them or smashing their bodies against scraps of wood in the massive tornado it had also created. I'm lucky to have survived so far.

A woman screams to my left as she is pulled upwards by the winds. I grab her hand and attach myself to what remains of a house so I'm not sucked up too.

I lost my grip yet again.

I crash into her as we fly up over ten feet high. Struggling in vain I watch the woman crash lifelessly against a tree trunk. What ever I do I can never help people.

I heard someone's scream being ripped away by the wind. Everything started fading from black to white and then settling in a gray. I tried to move but a when I did it felt like my stomach was being ripped apart. It was then when I lost consciousness.

Black that was what I could see. Nice, cold, calm black.

_Am I dead?_

Then it dawned on me that if I was dead then I wouldn't be able to register that I was seeing black or that I was cold. Anyway, wasn't the Farplains supposed to be light and colourful?

I could hear voices. I tried to open my eyes to see who was speaking but my muscles refused to co-operate.

"_You sure she is going to be alright?"_

I know that voice. Where have I heard it before?

"_She should be. As soon as…"_

Now that voice I didn't know.

"'_Should be'?! Look, Father, if you doubt she is going to survive just tell me! I don't like surprises. Especially ones like her imminent death or anything like that."_

"_I know sir. She must have meant a lot to you but right now we really don't know. She was lucky to have survived and is the only survivor that was on the port at the time. She had a boat's mast speared in her stomach! We have done all we can for her so unless she starts responding to anything any time soon I suggest you find a summoner quickly and take her to him."_

I wonder who they are talking about. I want to ask but I can't move my mouth.

I can feel someone approach me and take my hand.

"_Don't give up. Keep fighting. You have never given up before so don't give u now. … … . Please CP, please don't give up."_

I want to squeeze his hand. To tell him it'll be alright. But I can't even twitch my fingers.

He stays. He says he's going to stay with me until the end. He sounds upset. Why? Why is he upset? The end isn't close at all by the sound of his voice he sounds about mid twenties. I'm fourteen. We have years until the end.

They're arguing again.

They always argue.

It's quite funny really though I do feel sorry for the girl they are arguing about. They are always talking about that girl. She must be in a bad state and near the brink of death if what I can hear is correct.

Today it seems one of them has given up and wants to show her mercy by killing her quickly rather than making her suffer but the other one wants to keep trying to get her awake and refuses to let her die.

He is a good friend to her. I hope she appreciates him and what he does for her. There aren't many men around who are as dedicated to a woman even when they have been lover for generations.

The girl's friend won this round. He came back to my side. I try to tell him to go to his friend and to ignore my needs but, as always, I can't move so instead I silently pray for her quick recovery.

I don't know how long it has been since I last saw anything other than black but I certainly know that it couldn't have been much more than a week because It often only turns up about a week after an attack.

"_Sin Spawn!!!"_

I hear the crash and many people running. The girl's friend is with me. I can feel him rising up.

_No! This isn't right! He should take his friend and run! Sin Spawn are some of the_ _most dangerous things in this world second only to Sin and maybe other Sin Spawn._

I can hear a crash from somewhere to my right.

It's here.

I can sense that we are the only people left here. It sounds like everyone else has run down some steps to my left. I start to panic. He's going to fight it by him self!

A few moments later I can tell he is losing. He needs help but no one is coming. I need to help him.

_You can't move though. Oh, but I don't need to move to help him. What, You're gonna wish for his victory? Basically because to cast spells all you need is your mind._

And that is exactly what I did. I cast a Firaga in the direction of the Sin Spawn. I could tell that the girl's friend was confused about where the spell came from but when I cast a second spell he didn't seem to care anymore and just worked with it. Together we defeated the fiend.

When we where done. I looked over at the girl's friend who wore a red and black uniform by the looks of it. He was slumped over, tired, with a sword in his hands that now was resting on the ground.

I froze.

'_I looked over at the girl's friend…'_

'_I__** looked**__…'_

Blinking I tried to sit up but pain shot through my stomach coursing me to gasp and cultch my side as everything started to spin.

A steady hand came up and held my shoulder, preventing me from toppling over.

I looked in around to see the girl's friend look at me excitedly.

I wonder why he cares about me at all. I don't know him.

Faith, I hated this.

It had been three weeks since Sin attacked and one week since I had come to because of the Sin Spawn. I couldn't use any of my limbs and I was having difficulty breathing. They couldn't treat me any better at the temple so no matter how much the summoner protested Elm was going to take me home. He said that I could get treatment at the Bevel temple and that way my father could be with me if it did turn out I was to pass away. I knew it was a lie but I was thankful Elm was trying to get me out of there because I don't think I could have stood much more.

So now I'm being carried on to a boat to attempt the long trip back home. I hate depending on people.

What was worse was that over those weeks when I was aware of my surroundings I didn't recognise Elm. Not even when I could move.

Elm is a tall brunette with matching brown eyes. He may be about fourteen years older than me but he has been my best friend of as long as I can remember. I was three when I first met him and he was seventeen. I'm ashamed that I did not recognize him nor did I even consider he would come looking for me when I didn't return home when I was meant to.

On the ship now I fell asleep. Since I have awakened I have been getting a lot more tired a lot more quickly than usual.

When I woke up we where on another ship and it was night. This ship was much smaller and I could see the crimson sails flapping in the wind. We where on the home straight.

I looked around at the others on the boat. Normally this boat would only carry about three or four people in one journey because it was a private ship but today there was, with a quick head count, thirty five people aboard tonight, not including Elm or myself. Must be new recruits for the squad.

I watch some of the recruits. They where poking fun at one of the others that seemed content with just smiling at them, which annoyed them even further. Looking closer I noticed they where bullying an Al-Bhed. Either he didn't understand a word they where saying or he had heard it all before so it didn't bother him anymore.

"Eteudc."

I shift a little to see who had spoken but the movement blackened my vision with pain again and, yet again, I passed out.

When I awoke again I was lying on my back on a bed.

Looking around I could see that I was back at home and the green light of the forest pored through the windows. My room was a very quiet and dark place. The walls where a mixture of wood and rock as the whole building was carved out of the massive hollow of a tree. It was designed by the Guado so it looked just like Guado Salam except it was one big building instead of a village.

The door opened. I tried to sit up but a hand stopped me.

"You alright?"

I looked up at Elm. He looked worried. Couldn't blame him, I was in a bad state.

I nodded and tried to get up again. Wincing I managed to swot Elms hand away and get up.

"You're too determined for your own good, you know," said the brunette, leaning back against my oak desk.

"Sooo…." I began in a horse voice having not used it in\ages, "What's happening in the world?"

After a few days I was up and dressed, ready for training, and fully informed on what had happened when I was busy dying. Those people that I saw where new recruits and one of them was the first Al-Bhed to attempt to join.

Walking out (or more limping out) I headed towards to main training hall, where I was to meet Elm, Woods, and Terra (the three that made up the rest of my squad and friends). Glancing around as I approached the boys. I tried to not something about each and every person in the room I had not yet met (it's part of my job to know everything about everyone). Three people caught my attention most. One had long brown hair down his back, bright red clothing and looked like he had a mechanical arm and leg, he stood alone from the rest watching them and judging them. One had spiky blond hair and swirly green eyes, clearly the Al-Bhed. The one which I was most curious in was a small white haired man who wore green robes. I couldn't see him well because he sat aside from everyone else against a wall with his face buried in his arms resting on his knees.

"Hay! DP!" Terra called when I approached. I looked at him and smiled. I could have sworn he was a black haired maniac on stilts, he was so tall. Next to him the short, stern, brown haired Woods looked like his mirror opposite. The three boys all wore the same uniform of black and red. I should be wearing it but seeing as I'm the only girl in this little organization and the fact that I'm still growing they decided that they couldn't be stuffed to make me a uniform so I just wear the organizations colours, mostly black.

I get over to the boys and Elm handed me my sword explaining that she had gotten badly damaged in Sins attack so they fixed her. Taking my sword we started talking about life in general but mainly about how we think the new recruits will do. Apparently the man with the mechanical arm and leg was a famous crusader and he is expected to do well. They're not sure about the Al-Bhed because he seems to be good and have useful skills they would need but his nationality may get in his way in missions because people will hate him. When I asked about the white haired boy they said they didn't know anything about him, apparently he had never spoken and only ever moved when he absolutely had to.

While we talked I could hear the newcomers getting louder and louder behind us. Finally I hear Terra exclaim something and run around me. Turning round I saw what the problem was.

It seems some of the newbies where very strong Yevonites and, as such, basically wished for all Al-Bhed to die. About ten new recruits where beating the living daylight out of the Al-Bhed, or at least trying to. The white hair man, who was more a boy than a man, was up on his feet defending the Al-Bhed! That was not only weird that the boy was so good at fighting but he also didn't care he was fighting for an Al-Bhed when he was clearly wearing the robes of a Yevon Monk, and Yevon was what had condemned the Al-Bhed to begin with.

Running over we managed to get the ten off the other two before there was a serious injury but the Al-Bhed still had had a bad hit in the head, making him unable to stand, and the boy had a long gash down his arm. When I said _'wished for all Al-Bhed to die' _I really meant they wished for all Al-Bhed to **die**.

While Woods, Terra and Elm held the over excited Yevonites back I skidded to a holt and knelt down next to the Al-Bhed to check his head.

"Oui ugyo?" I asked while checking if how bad his head was.

He looked back at me with his mouth gapping for a moment, in which time I managed to conclude he was only a bit dazed with a possible small concussion, before answering me.

"Oayr, E's veha… Cu, hu uvvahla ehdahtat, pid cehla frah tet baubma udran dryh uin camjac cbayg Al-Bhed? Un yna oui Al-Bhed yht E's zicd paehk tisp?"

"Oui'na hud tisp palyica E's hud Al-Bhed. E fyc nyecat po yh Al-Bhed vun ypuid aekrd oaync pid drah cra teat tia do y Sin yddylg."

"Oilr. Cunno ypuid dryd."

"Ed'c veha."

"Fryd'c yuin hysa?"

"Ok, great, you found someone else to blabber Al-Bhed to but I think this guy is gonna faint soon from lack of blood and, as far as I'm aware, you are **the** Doctor P. around here."

Looking up at Elm I noticed just how much blood was on the robes of the boy he was supporting. The crowd had died down and one of the leaders of the Yevonites was lying unconscious on the floor.

_I swear he didn't have that cut in his side before._

As if he had read my mind Terra explained how the, now unconscious, man had decided to take his anger out on the boy claim that he was a traitor and a liar and had had another shot at him without warming.

Raising an eyebrow I took care of the boy's wounds and then yet again I fell unconscious from a wound that reopened.

_I have been passing out way too much lately._


End file.
